Our Allure Story

[Dolby1000]

Been home several weeks now from the Allure April 6th sailing. Have been dealing with health issues with my father, so this review is late, but I still want to post it.

 

You can find my review of last year's Allure cruise here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1836072

 

I will have some new pictures on this review, but far fewer than last years. Also, with my father's health issues forefront on my mind, my sense of humor is not in a really good place right now, so this will be more of a narrative and less jokes, sorry, I just can't come up with too many right now.

 

In short, another 10 out 10. We love this ship! The staff was amazing, the food was terrific and the week was outstanding. The service was top notch, the shows so entertaining and I even walked away from the Casino with more $$$ than I entered, and not via the ATM either. So, yes, I am a RC cheerleader, but with weeks like the one we just had tells me we are sailing on the right line for us.

 

I still dislike Ken Rush (I know I'm in the minority there) but really, what impact does the Cruise Director have on your overall cruise enjoyment? I really don't interact with him. And if that is the worst thing on my cruise, I'm going to have a good time!

 

So, no limes, no nachos (as previously posted) here is our Allure Story (imagine a red curtain opening up in a Chicago suburban home, snow is piled up to the windows):

 

Cast:

Me (52 year old married guy)

DW - ?? (year old married gal)

 

DW and I have been married 28 years and this was our 7th RC cruise, having cruised previously on the Grandeur (when it was just 4 months old, so back then, the Grandeur represented the newest and best of RC), Rhapsody, Serenade, Brilliance, Adventure, and Allure. We are Emerald status with C&A and will be 7 points from Diamond after this cruise.

 

In February, as the Midwest winter raged on and on, I looked at DW and said “I need to get out of here, or at least, have something to hold on to”. We arranged work schedules and then looked at available cruises. Although we had just sailed on the Allure last year, when we returned from that cruise we determined that we had missed much and that sailing on her again, to do that which we missed, would be a good idea. We could only really sail around April 5 (which was also our 28th Anniversary), so either the Oasis or Allure was our first choice. Although the Oasis was sailing Eastern, which was attractive because we did Western last year, being able to leave on Sunday was the better option so we choose the Allure Western sailing of April 6, 2014. At this point, we were considering driving down from Chicagoland and this would give us an extra day to get there. The travel to Florida plans would change several times.

 

So, now we had our ship so next question what cabin? We spoiled ourselves with a Grand Suite (8660) last time and as I checked cabins, 8660 was still available. This is a great choice as Deck 8 is centrally located (use stairs instead of elevators) and near the dining area we liked best, Park Café. Soda machines were only 3 decks down on the Promenade. As it was around our anniversary time, we looked at our funds and decided to treat ourselves once again. We were influenced by the truly harsh winter, even by Midwest standards, and DW was getting over the death of her mother just 2 months prior in December. When we sailed the Allure last time we had the issue of DMIL suffering the after effects of a very severe stroke and we were looking forward to sailing without having to worry about parent health issues (DMIL passed away just after Christmas). What we didn’t count on was the fact that my two parents are still living. Although everything was fine when we booked the trip, the situation with my parents would put us in the same position as last year, but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself.

 

We initially had thought to travel to Florida by car. As I checked airfares just to be curious, the prices between Midway or O’Hare and Fort Lauderdale (Southwest) really weren't that attractive. The times for direct flights, which is what we prefer, were not convenient at all, especially on Sunday. I find it surprising that Southwest only offers 2 direct flights to Chicago on Sunday, one ridiculously early and one very, very late. Everything else connects and makes what should be a 3 hour trip into a 5 or 6 hour one. This makes the last day of the cruise not relaxing at all. So, again, we thought about the driving option, thinking that weather in April really couldn't be too bad (jokes on us there).

 

Just for grins, I checked flights for Friday/Monday on Southwest. Wow, fares were 50% or more less than Sat/Sun and now the times didn't matter so much. When I checked using miles for the flights, I found we had enough for both us to fly down there at $0. So, now the decision was made, fly down Friday at 7AM arriving at 11AM and return Monday at 6:30AM arriving at 8:30AM. Two extra days of sun and DW was convinced.

 

I don't want to keep these posts too long, so, TBC. . . . . . .

 

Dolby1000

[Dolby1000]

Wow, such a story and we aren't even out of Chicago yet. Actually, flying ended up being a good decision as the weather between Chicago and Fort Lauderdale, on the days we would have driven, would have been horrendous. We would have encountered hours of driving in severe thunderstorms on the trip down and hours of heavy, steady rain, changing to snow, yes freaking snow, on the way home. This led to 2 very uncomfortable, bumpy, jumpy seat belt sign staying on the entire time flights, but this was still the better option.

 

We now had 3 nights to stay in Fort Lauderdale. Last time, we had one night at and we stayed at Hyatt Pier 66. It was very nice, but this time, since we had two whole days, we wanted closer beach access. We also planned to rent a car to get to John Lloyd State Park and to ride an airboat at Everglades Holiday Park. The costs associated with the hotels and the rent a car was still less than what we would have paid for the flights, so at the end, we still came out ahead.

 

Longer story short (please keep snide remarks to yourself), we decided on the Bahia Mar along A1A. This property offered a great location, just on the beach and near enough to other restaurants. It was priced just about $10 a night lower than Hyatt at Pier 66 and had a Hertz rent-a-car so we could return our car directly at the hotel and not have to return to the airport. We used this property for our pre and post cruise stay. Bahia Mar also had Water Taxi access should we want to take advantage of that.

 

So, we have picked our cruise, picked our hotel, booked our flights and joined our meet and mingle on Cruise Critic. Now all we had to do is wait. Wait in 20 degree below zero cold, wait as 40 more inches of snow fell, wait and seemingly wait forever to get out of town.

 

One week before the cruise, just after we had watched the Allure on the Port Everglades web cam the phone rang and I saw that it was RC. I answered and the RC guy offered us a Sky Loft suite for some $$$ extra. It was still well below the regular cost of the suite (that regular cost is more than double that of a Grand Suite). I quickly looked up the cabin on You Tube and made an instant decision to take it. Not cheap, but the price we got it for was well, well below the listed cost. I have to give the RC guy credit as he was patient while I looked up the cabin and got an idea of what we were potentially upgrading ourselves to. I had hoped that we might have been offered a Crown Loft Suite, which in itself would be amazing, to be offered the Sky Loft Suite was unexpected. We took it. I’ll have more on the Sky Loft suite and some pictures later in this review. Needless to say, but I’m going to say it anyway, this made the last few days before leaving almost unbearable. Now the trip went from being really special to off the charts the special.

 

4:15 AM, April 4, 2014. Ding, ding! And we’re off! It had rained heavily the night before, it was windy, still mild but going to turn sharply colder early in the morning and snow was forecast for the afternoon. Relatives of DW’s and mine up in MN and WI were due to get another foot of snow. It was still foggy in Chicago. Thankfully, a manageable fog, but that was about to change.

 

We arrived at Midway around 5AM for our 6:30 flight. We had A47 & A48 boarding numbers, so at least aisle seats were assured. I couldn't believe how crowded the airport was at 5AM. But to Southwest’s credit, they kept the lines moving and even the security area was running pretty well. We arrived at our gate around 5:30, and this included the 10 minute walk to the end of terminal, you see, anyone going to warm climate has to use the last gate, going to Kansas City, B1, going to Florida, B26, or something thereabout.

 

Just about 15 minutes before we left, the cold front hit. The fog lifted and the winds started to blow. But, we left the gate at 6:25 on a 100% full flight and were in the air 5 minutes later. Good thing the pilots wanted to get out town! In all my years of flying, I have never felt an aircraft as buffeted by winds as this one was. The flight attendants had to stay seated for almost 30 minutes before we could at least find a somewhat smoother path. It was rough. I always find taking off and almost immediately looking at white more than a little unnerving. It was a really thick cloud barrier. It took almost 20 minutes before we were above the clouds, but, we were safely out and on the way.

 

Did you know Southwest now offers free TV (bring your own non-Android device) via Dish? My iPhone 4 worked perfectly, my Kindle Fire did not. Did you know that at 6:30 in morning there is nothing on? Still I thought it was a really great feature. Heck, I even watched Let’s Make A Deal live on my iPhone during the last hour of the flight. This would be best on the weekends or evenings when something more entertaining than Good Morning America or infomercials. It is a free service. Other internet costs $$, and there are limited movie and TV shows available for extra costs, but using Southwest Dish service only requires the right device and even works in airplane mode. Thumbs up on this one.

 

We landed on time and got to just short of the gate. Another darn plane was in our gate. The delay seemed longer than the 10 minutes or so it took, but when you are claustrophobic like me, and can see the sun and sky just tantalizingly close, you are itching to get off that plane. So, officially, even though we landed on time, we were 15 minutes late.

 

I don’t know why, but it took forever for everyone in front of us (we were at the back) to get off the darn plane. The rear flight crew had changed everything out and still less than half the plane had de-boarded! Even the Flight Attendants were looking at us saying, “what, you’re still here, get the hell off!” It took so long to get off that by the time we reached baggage claim, the bags were already coming off! Kudos to the efficient Southwest baggage handlers.

 

TBC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Trust me, pictures are coming)

Dolby1000

[Dolby1000]

Okay, so we had basic, and well executed, Chicago Style Dogs, chips and drinks, I have to say we enjoyed it very much. We sat outside, under the awning in nothing more than shorts and t-shirts which only made us smile more. The owners, who we talked to for a few minutes, have run the joint for over 20 years and it reminded us of a favorite place back home in Elmhurst, IL called Hamburger Heaven. Everyone sits around shared picnic tables and discusses important life altering events such as the Miami Heat, who the Dolphins are going to draft and what a beautiful day it was. Sorry, no pics of the hot dogs.

 

Shortly we were back on the road and heading to Everglades Holiday Park for an airboat ride. We arrived around 1PM and the main parking lot was full but there was plenty of room in the overflow lot. Thanks to Cruise Critic and the Florida Departure thread, we used a Groupon that saved us 50% off of the book price as it was a 2 for 1 coupon. This made the decision of what air boat park to use much easier.

 

Did I mention the weather? It was Florida Postcard day. The sun was out and it was warm, but not too hot. There was also a bit of a breeze, heck, more than a breeze, it was a pretty strong wind, but that prevented one from getting too hot. It was quite different for us to feel a wind without having a wind chill factor assigned to it!

 

Although the parking lot was full, the line was very short and we were given a ride number only 15 minutes out. Time enough for a restroom break.

 

Here are some pictures from the park. (let's see if I can figure out how to do that again).

 

Entrance:

 

 

Boat loading area:

 

 

Air boat leaving:

 

 

We had a great guide and saw lots of birds and even a few alligators. EHP has covered airboats keeping the hot sun off of your head. At full speed we thrilled to the wind in our faces and glassy water and reed plants passing the boat. I even fed one of the birds. Vulture Island showed off its namesake. The ride took about an hour and we thoroughly enjoyed it, especially at the 50% off price.

 

Lone Tree:

 

 

Vultures:

 

 

Alligator:

 

 

TBC. . . . . . . .

Dolby1000

[Dolby1000]

A couple of left over pics from EHP:

 

Lilypads:

 

 

Friendly bird we fed:

 

 

Same alligator:

 

 

We left EHP around 3 to make our way to our hotel, the Bahia Mar, on the beach just off of A1A. I think it took only around a half-hour to get there using 75 and 595. We must have been ahead of rush hour traffic as even A1A wasn’t too bad. There were no open bridge backups. Driving over the channel, Port Everglades was bereft of any cruise ships, something that would change in only about 12 hours or so.

 

Bahia Mar welcomed us and checked us in about a half hour before formal check in time and greed us with cookies and a room on the 4th floor of the Garden Wing. The view wasn’t too bad. Our last stay in the area was a Hyatt Pier 66. We choose the Bahia Mar because we like the beach and wanted to be close to it. Walking to the inlet was not in play as we had rented a car and planned to watch Saturday’s sail away from John Lloyd State Park.

 

Quickly explored Bahia Mar and my initial impressions was that it was nice, but shows signs of aging. It just appears, well, tired. The room was clean, but what was unusual was all the space in front of the window. There was plenty of room for a table and a couple of chairs, or even just another loveseat or something, it was just about 40% of the room was just open space.

 

What was a bit annoying is the bell man waving us through the drop off area and making us park the car before we checked in. That made little sense.

 

It was very windy, with the winds coming off the ocean. I took a short walk to the beach. What attracted me to the BM was the foot bridge they have over A1A to get to the beach. This made crossing the street very easy. The bridge is open from 6:30AM to 10PM. At the beach I noticed yellow and blue flags. The yellow was easy to figure out as the winds were whipping up pretty good waves. I asked the guard about the blue flags and he said the in winter jelly fish are not common. He did say that they hadn’t seen any in a couple of weeks and reported no bites that day either. I choose to stay out of the water, not for the jellyfish, but the larger waves were a bit off putting to this Midwestern lake swimmer. Those blue flags were gone the next day.

 

BM has just a regular, albeit a bit larger, swimming pool. If you’re looking for an awesome pool you need to head elsewhere, like Hyatt Pier 66, they have an awesome pool. This one was just a pool. There isn’t a hot tub either. It was heated to a nice temperature though, not too warm, not chilly at all. They supply pool towels, you know, the threadbare ones that take at least 3 of them to get dry and there is a nice pool bar too. The work out facility is connected to the pool zone. There is also a very popular ping pong table available for anyone to use. Everything is on a second floor with about chest high walls that keep out much of the breeze. Before dinner I did take a swim here, found it very nice. Actually long enough to swim laps. Which I did. See, exercise! Somehow, I forgot to take pictures here, sorry. But, truthfully, not much to see.

 

Bridge to the Beach (taken from our room)

 

 

View from the room:

 

 

 

TBC. . . . . . . .

[Dolby1000]

Now we were ready for some dinner. Here is where the hotel concierge needs to get her directions a bit more explicit. Initially, we asked for the water taxi, which does stop at the Bahia Mar. We were going to take it to the Galleria Mall and find a place for dinner. It was only two stops away. From the front desk, she pointed in the general direction of “southish” to find the water taxi stop. Well, we never did find it. Find the stop that is. Later, after the cruise, we finally found it on the far side of the Jungle Queen, not actually on the property itself as the lady suggested. After wandering unsuccessfully for 20 minutes, we decided to go on the other direction and find “plenty of eateries” along A1A just north of the Bahia Mar. We also thought, being the walkers that we are, we could hoof the 2 ½ miles to Galleria for dinner. The concierge lady told us A1A had lots of places to eat, shop, etc.

 

Take a gander at a map of A1A just north of the Bahia Mar.

 

 

See that little curve there? The one that shows that A1A Southbound shifts to a block west of the Northbound A1A for several blocks? Guess where we walked? Yep, Southbound side that only had a 7-11. DW and I went for blocks wondering where in heck all these stores and restaurants were. Wasn’t Beach Place (a sad shell of it formal self as we learned later) around here somewhere? At least there they had a Hooters and we could get wings. The Northbound , or beach side, is where all the action is at. We totally missed it!

 

Further north, A1A joined itself again but was now mostly condos and hotels. Somehow we got fixated on getting to the mall. We rested a couple of times, but we did make to the mall, fully starving and my DW, who has diabetes and who had made an adjustment on her pump, still was becoming rather alarmingly low in the blood sugar levels. We quickly found a Burger Fy, which we had enjoyed very much in Lauderdale by the Sea last year and quickly decided we needed to eat now and this would much faster than the overcrowded sit down places (we had planned of PF Changs) across the street. Never have to twist my arm for a decent burger! I could even have a Brooklyn Lager, one of our favorite beers and, yes, there it was, on the Burge Fy beer menu.

 

Well, it was not. They had traded for a local IPA (not even a different lager, which I love, but an IPA of which I am not a big fan). We ordered soda instead. But, their burgers remain top notch and their fries well done are some of the best fries I ever had and we were so hungry we just downed everything.

 

After eating our fill, we quickly walked through the emptiness of the Galleria Mall, and not finding an ice cream or frozen yogurt place for dessert, took a cab back to the hotel, a bit disappointed we didn’t find a decent dessert place. We lived. Oh these 1st world problems.

 

I ended our first Florida day with a late swim and then hit the hay. The bed at the hotel was actually pretty comfortable. We did not set an alarm.

 

Saturday dawned even nicer than Friday. It was April 5, our 28th Anniversary. Instead of cold, grey Chicago, we had sunny, less windy, warm, outstanding, pretty Fort Lauderdale. Not much on the schedule today. We had egg sandwiches from the All About Food shop, grabbed some sodas and planted ourselves on the beach for most of the day. We rented two chairs and an umbrella for the rather pricey sum of $40, but it was what we wanted to do. I have a couple of pictures around here somewhere. We rested, walked, and swam for many hours. Not exciting, but really a wonderful way to our anniversary.

 

Around 3 we took a break, had a snack and headed out to John Lloyd State Park and the parade of cruise ships as they leave the harbor. What was amusing that we did get bridge stuck twice going to the park.

 

What was nice is that the State Park knows it is popular with people who want to see the cruise ships. They know that the parking lot closest to the jetty isn’t large enough to handle the crowds. The friendly gate attendant told us to use the “college” lot if the lot we wanted was full. Even from the main parking lot it would be a bit of a walk to get to the jetty. I was pretty well confused until we hit the end of the road. The last lot was full, but next to it, on the west side of the street is a parking lot for a small college. This lot had plenty of spaces and is just a close to the jetty as the park lot. How nice of college to lend their lot so that we can save many steps. Kudos!

 

Took a couple of ships docked:

 

 

 

Then they started out:

 

 

 

 

You'll notice the light is at a different angle when you use this park for the sail away parade.

 

TBC. . . . . . .

 

Dolby1000

[laedw]

I am enjoying your review and pics. I live in Chicago and know what you mean about the horrible winter weather we had. I knew I had to get away from this weather and booked the Allure for a March sailing. I thoroughly enjoyed the ship!

[fish6]

Wow! Great start to your review.....keep it coming :)

[Cruisin' Along]

Great TR and photos! Looking forward to more.

[Dolby1000]

If you can make it here for the Sail Away parade, there are several advantages:

 

There are several beaches you can swim at while waiting for the ships

There are changing rooms and bathrooms

There is a lot more parking

It only costs $6 a carload

There is a good sun angle

 

 

More pictures of Celebrity and Royal Caribbean ships from Saturday:

 

 

 

 

 

 

For our Anniversary dinner we went to Grille 66, where we had eaten last year. I was all ready for the Steak and Frites until they gave us the specials. Darn them. Neither of us ending up ordering what we had pre-planned. I switched to the special of South African lobster stuffed with crab meat and DW went with Steak Oscar, a classic dish.

 

Although dinner was expensive, I won’t kid you on that, it was, however, the best meal of the trip. Wanting dessert, we skipped the appetizer and split a Caesar Salad.

 

The food was outstanding. Really, nothing short of outstanding. With the lobster, they served melted butter and lemon, but I never used them. The dish came with a champagne tarragon sauce that was so good, so complementary of the dish that to use the butter or lemon would upset the balance of the presented flavors. Okay, so I watch too much Food Channel. It was a wow, a big wow. By far, it was the biggest lobster I had ever seen and yet that size didn't take anything away from the richness or flavor of it.

 

We had decided to share our entrees and after eating 51% of my dish (aren't I a devil), I hesitatingly handed it over to DW and tried the Steak Oscar. Not quite as good as the lobster, but wonderful in its own right. The crab meat was succulent and the béarnaise sauce was rich and completed the perfectly prepared filet. A classic dish not found even in a lot places here in Chicago, Grille 66 executed it perfectly. We had also split a baked potato. We did not regret our choices.

 

For dessert DW had the Crème Brulee and I had the homemade chocolate ice cream. Her Crème Brulee came out still flaming and had the perfect sugary crust (thank goodness for the insulin pump, DW regulated her glucose levels so even after the big dinner and dessert she never spiked a high number, what an amazing invention). The custard was the perfect light and creaminess one should find in this dessert. DW relished every spoonful. My ice cream was only the best chocolate ice cream I've ever had, rich, smooth and creamy with a dark chocolate flavor, almost worth visiting Grille 66 alone. I love ice cream, it is my favorite dessert and as such, I rather don’t have that often as I could easily over-indulge. This more than made up for the missed dessert of the previous night. If you have a night for a not-inexpensive dinner around Pier 66, I would highly recommend Grille 66.

 

We enjoyed sitting near one of the floor to ceiling windows, overlooking the channel and the busy boats going to and fro and watched the sky turn from bright blue into night as the sun set on a the clear sky. The PERFECT evening.

 

Free Valet parking was included.

 

We took another walk back at the hotel to ease our digestion and I took another swim as we prepared for the big day. Our trip was off to a great start. It was about to get even better.

 

Ready to start cruising? Stay tuned for the next post, really, trust me, I promise we'll get to the ship next time. It's a really great ship, worth the wait!

 

Dolby1000

Edited April 29, 2014 by Dolby1000

[Dolby1000]

Embarkation Day

 

Sunday, like Saturday, dawned clear and bright. I decided to do a quick load of laundry at the hotel as I was up and it was far too early to leave for the port. This is where I have to give really poor marks to the Bahia Mar. Yes, they have a laundry room with 6 washers and dryers. They each cost $2 in quarters only. You know what they didn't have? A machine to exchange dollars for quarters, and, surprisingly, no machine for dish washing detergent either. Thus began my merry adventure looking for detergent (the hotel store didn't have any) and finding anyone who could exchange dollars for quarters. I ended up at the aforementioned 7-11 for detergent and begged enough quarters from them and a few other places that I was able to get a load done. But, really, if you are a hotel and provide a laundry room, and knowing that people cannot travel with detergent and likely will need quarters, the room is actually useless without these things.

 

Okay, laundry done. Bitching about the lack of amenities to get the laundry done (DW is such a saint). Sunny day – achieved. Everything re-packed and organized - Achieved. Bathing suits moved to the carryon - Achieved. Clothes for dinner moved to the carryon - Achieved. To excited to wait anymore - Achieved.

 

At 10:30 I couldn't wait anymore. We grabbed a taxi (the hotel was trying to sell us a shuttle for $15 a person, we spent about $15 between the two of us on a taxi) and got to the pier in only a few minutes.

 

Check-in, as per the usual for RC, was a breeze, 15 minutes at most.

 

Funny how last year we got the sequester email and were told not to arrive it at the pier until at least 1PM. Still, we arrived at 10:30 and we were on board the Allure by 11:15. This year, no sequester email, we arrived at the port at the same time, parked our fannies in the suite area, and this year actually waited until 12:15 to board the ship. A lot of people were getting antsy once the clock hit noon or so.

 

But, around 12:15 came the sound. The first "bong" of the trip and we were back on board the Allure.

 

Once we were on board, it was time to fix the user error (that would be me). I had booked the Samba Grill for night one and later DW and I decided we wanted the dinner package and I couldn't figure out how to fix it. As soon as we boarded, with thousands queued behind us, I marched us up and over to Chops. The kind young man (sorry, I didn't write down the name) was able to address my dilemma and fixed us up with new Samba, Giovanni’s and Chops reservations with the dinner package and cancel and refund by initial Samba reservation. It took only a few minutes and he was really polite and helpful.

 

One reason why we decided to go with the dinner package was that although I had chosen My Time Dining, by the time we booked the cruise, the only choices were right at dining room open or 8:30. Neither was preferential. Also, we wanted to try other places and sometimes we never really found anything we liked on the dinner menus. We chose sea days, around 7PM for our reservations. This turned out to be an excellent choice. When I checked our Seapass charges the next day, everything was correct. We had the credits and the new charges and everything balanced out as it was supposed to.

 

While waiting in line, another couple came up behind us and as we were talking, they also were doing a dining package, and, they were members of Cruise Critic. Sorry, I forget their names just now. As we talked, we planned to meet up the next day at the Meet and Mingle and I told DW, this is the couple we are probably going to come across all week. You know, the one couple you keep running into even though there are over 6,000 people on board. This was that couple!

 

We never saw them again.

 

Since we had sailed on the Allure only a year ago, I’m not going to be posting the same pictures as last year. I’ll only post where things might be a bit different.

 

You can find all those pictures here:

http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/David_Kopp/library/Allure%20of%20the%20Seas%20Cruise?sort=2&page=1

 

There is also an album for this cruise (I'm not sharing every pic):

http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/David_Kopp/library/Allure%202014?sort=2&page=1

 

We walked out of Chops and it was only 12:30 or so. Look, there is the Park Café and there is no line! We quickly grabbed some Diet Cokes (we both had the soda package) from the Trellis bar and what did we get to eat? Do you really have to ask? Ah, it was so good. Thanks to those who suggested we can ask for double meat. Even better! By the time we finished, the line was well out the door.

 

Note on the soda package: We had pre-booked the package. When getting on board the Allure, they were pushing the Royal Replenish package, which costs a heck of a lot more. You could still get just the soda package, but you had to know it existed in order to order it as the signage managed not to explain this option. We are Diet Coke and Coke Zero drinkers, so having the package was important for us. We used the machines from the Windjammer and the Wipeout Cafe mostly, although the these were only available when these areas were cafe is open. Although the Windjammer has a lot of open hours, the Wipeout cafe does not. The only two really available machines around the clock are on the Promenade.

 

By now it was around 1PM and we were walking near the mini golf course and I noticed someone on one of the Crown Loft Suites balconies. So, of course, I asked the stupid question, are cabins open already? Thankfully, all he did was smile and say yes.

 

Quickly we moved up the stairs to Deck 17 and the suite area. This is the only hallway where you need your Seapass card to get access. Ours worked, as expected. We walked to the end of the hallway and there it was, Sky Loft Suite 1720.

 

Only the most amazing thing ever. We walked into the suite and our jaws just dropped to the floor. Here are pictures of the suite before we started to make it home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balcony pictures start on the next post.

 

Dolby1000

Edited April 29, 2014 by Dolby1000

[Dolby1000]

The balcony, OMG, the balcony alone was larger than most staterooms and that is not an exaggeration. Check it out below. Yes, for a cabin that at most sleeps 4 people (the sofa converts to a bed), the balcony holds 12 chairs and two tables. And enough room for a shuffle board court should you want on. We overlooked the rear of deck 15, the mini-golf, the stand-up Flowrider, the sports court and the zip line. We also looked out over the port side and could see ocean on 3 sides. Amazing. The balcony does get strong sunshine either in the morning or afternoon, depending on what direction the ship is facing. It can get quite warm out there in the afternoon if you are facing west as the shade may go away rather quickly. This never bothered us at all, but it might be a concern for others.

 

 

 

 

 

These are the views looking out:

 

 

 

Shortly while were trying to figure out what switch did what, our stateroom attendant, Tyrsta, rang the doorbell and we welcomed her. The first thing she did was pick up our jaws off of the floor. Tyrsta then went on to explain all the switches and amazing things the room could do, such as electronically control the inner and outer drapes, function the lights into daytime, evening and night mode, showed us how the second flat screen TV came out of the ceiling by the bed and advised us to put it away each night so that someone (me) wouldn't bump his head on it when having to get up, advised us the keep the lights on the stairs at all times for safety sake and showed 2 bathrooms, each with double, actually, after a couple of days experimenting with things, make that triple showers.

 

A quick note about Tyrsta. She got a WOW card and extra tip. Last year we had a good attendant, we hardly ever saw him, but the room was always clean and attended to. Tyrsta took things to the next level. Anytime we ran into her she always had a bright smile and we shared many a laugh or two. Kind, she had warm eyes with a twinkle that displayed her sense of humor. Every time we left the suite and ran into her we always shared what we were doing and what she thought was good to see and do. She is an example of how a room attendant can elevate your week. A few times even I was able to get her to laugh and that is always the sign of a good day, when you get someone else to laugh. Tyrsta provided us with a week full of warmth and laughter. The cabin was also always clean and neat and on most nights, a good towel animal as well. I still insist (just kiddingly) she was trying to jinx me with the towel animal bat she made. Smiling, she didn’t deny it. She was the best room attendant we've ever had.

 

TBC. . . . . . . . . .

[KBRADFORD79]

Enjoying! :)

[Cruisegirl6]

Hi, you mentioned that you made the specialty dining right away when you boarded, if we waited a couple of hours do you feel we will get 7pm dinner at Chops we have night 3,5 and 7 available?

 

Did you have to go directly to the restaurant to make the reservations or did you notice a booth upon boarding that we can get it done there?

[perkyblue]

I've been on Allure 3 times (once just for a short ship tour) -- I love that ship! Your pics are great! I'm glad the weather was decent for your airboat ride in the Everglades. I did that tour almost exactly two years ago, and it was a miserable rainy day -- no fun at all. I'm glad you enjoyed yours! And I love your balcony pictures -- reminds me of my cruise last year on Oasis when we were spoiled rotten by my dad with an Aquatheater Suite. Those huge balconies are amazing!

[niksmom630]

Awesome start so far! Thanks for sharing! Another Midwest native here--:mad:

 

Worst winter in as long as I can remember. Really enjoying looking at these photos depicting warmth and sunshine as we enjoy yet another grey, damp, day here in Chicago!

[TheInnocentAge]

Great review so far! We were on the Allure last November and your posts bring back some nice memories. Maybe you'll get to this part, but did you happen to visit the Schooner Bar? Just wondering if our two favorite bartenders, Garth and Digno, are still there...

 

Thanks!

[happymoes]

Love your review!!!

[cruiserdudebobby8]

love the Allure

[szdiver]

More....more....

[Cindy]

I'm really enjoying your story and your writing style. My husband and I are about your age, have similar worries about aging parents, and are booked in a GS on the Oasis in November. We, however, have never been upgraded/upsold, so I'm just drooling looking at your pictures!:o I can't wait to read more! Thanks for sharing!

[MeandHer1968]

Great review so far...Makes me even more anxious to go on her..ONLY 187 more days for us...

[EmpressofPurple]

Wow, just a great review... Calgon, take me away! I can feel the sunshine and the warm breezes (or winds)... and WHAT A STATEROOM/BALCONY!!! Amazing. I hear you paid (a lot) extra -- though well below brochure price -- but still, what a great outcome. Takes cruising to a whole new level. Can't wait to hear about your adventures onboard. Thanks for sharing!!:)

[Dolby1000]

Hi, you mentioned that you made the specialty dining right away when you boarded, if we waited a couple of hours do you feel we will get 7pm dinner at Chops we have night 3,5 and 7 available?

 

Did you have to go directly to the restaurant to make the reservations or did you notice a booth upon boarding that we can get it done there?

 

IMHO - the quicker you can get to the restaurant to make a reservation the better chance of getting the time you want. I didn't see a reservation station when we boarded, not saying it wasn't there, just didn't look for it. I made a direct beeline to Chops. What was outstanding was the guy at Chops took care of all our reservations so we didn't have to go place to place.

 

I believe there is a reservation number you can use once on board the ship too.

 

Dolby1000

[Dolby1000]

Great review so far! We were on the Allure last November and your posts bring back some nice memories. Maybe you'll get to this part, but did you happen to visit the Schooner Bar? Just wondering if our two favorite bartenders, Garth and Digno, are still there...

 

Thanks!

 

We did visit on night for the piano music. As we are mostly soda drinkers, we didn't take note of the bartenders.

 

We did enjoy listening to the music, though. Just note the times on your Compass, you don't want to go when something else, like 70s night is going on as that precludes the piano music.

 

Dolby1000

[Dolby1000]

I'm really enjoying your story and your writing style. My husband and I are about your age, have similar worries about aging parents, and are booked in a GS on the Oasis in November. We, however, have never been upgraded/upsold, so I'm just drooling looking at your pictures!:o I can't wait to read more! Thanks for sharing!

 

Thanks to all for the kind comments.

 

One reason my review is so late is due to my Father's health. He's been in and out of the hospital twice since we've been back and that has taken a lot of review time. He is fighting lung cancer and has had terrible side effects from the chemo, so bad, in fact, he can't take anymore.

 

I advise getting the travel insurance, it does bring a small piece of mind.

 

I'll get back to the review tomorrow, believe it or not, have to leave shortly to bring DF home from the aforementioned hospital!

 

Dolby1000

 

Dolby1000